Sfoglia Report (Lunch)

Been trying to get to Sfoglia for a long time now and finally managed to schedule lunch there on Monday with a food writer/author and our company's PR team of 2. Since it seems like dinner reservations are booked out six weeks or so, lunch was a great call - made the reservation about a week in advance and there were a few empty tables.

The quick and dirty from our lunch of four:

Olive oil - outstanding. The olive oil actually comes from one of the wine producers we represent in Sicily and is really amazing, high quality oil. I don't want to shill the name here but I will say it's the best o/o from any of the wineries we represent in the world. Surpised to see it being served and goes to show that they really care about serving the highest quality ingedients from start to finish.

Bread - also outstanding. Tasted as though it had recently come out of the oven with a chewy crust, soft interior and some kosher or sea salt (large crystals) on the exterior. Really, really good.

Fritatta of day - best appetizer. I didn't order it but tasted and had perfect mix of cheese, egg and wild mushrooms. Very light and creamy. Delicious.

We had three pastas -- the hands down winner was gnocchi in pesto. As mentioned in previous posts, these gnocchi are remarkably light and airy. Delicious. Lasagna with mint and vegetables (squash) and goat cheese was above average -- just didn't wow although the mint added a nice summer touch to the dish. Papardelle Bolognese was very good as well although a bit heavy for Monday's oppressive heat.

Wine List - really nice mix of eclectic producers and varietals...some well known names and lesser known names/regions. Well thought out and reasonably priced.

The "find" of the lunch was during coffee/dessert -- since it was about 95 degrees out (and quite hot in the restaurant) we asked if they could make an iced espresso. They offered their Americano-esque drink which was espresso-based but quite strong and served chilled in a tall glass with ice. WOW. The perfect summer end to a meal with some biscotti. Could've had about 6 more it was that good.

On a 1-10, meal was about an 8 and hope to have a chance to go back for dinner soon with a date. The only negative was that for a business lunch, service was a tad on the leisurely side.